Valentine's Day Names

From the Irish Leannan, this, unfortunately, would be constantly mistaken for Lennon.

Friendly and energetic name from the Mende language of West Africa.

Forever Lucy's.

An attractive unisex choice heard in several countries, including Armenia. Can be pronounced sheer-IN or sheer-EEN.

Popular in Puerto Rico since the 2000s and now in the US too, Dariel is a modern, elaborated form or Darrell or Darren, inspired by the likes of Gabriel and Daniel. Darrell (which might also be the inspiration behind Darren) derived from a Norman French surname, d'Airelle, referring to someone who came from Airelle in France.

Anahita is the name of the water goddess who rules, among other things, fertility and wisdom. Associated with Venue, Anahita is a stylish Iranian name for girls.

A romantic choice, this appealing Spanish name for boys is both accessible and distinctive.

This Dutch name stems from the Greek root word "philos" meaning "love". It is relatively common in the Netherlands.

Sadbh is the modern Irish form of the more streamlined but equally confusing Sadb or Sadhbh: these names are pronounced to rhyme with five. In Irish mythology Sadb or Sadbh or Sadhbh, a goddess lover of Finn McCool's, was turned into a deer only to vanish and (somewhere in there) give birth to Oisin.

Esha is a lovely Indian name that would work well outside the Indian sub-continent, perhaps as a substitute to the more unisex Asher.

Where as a serenade is an evening love song, an aubade is sung first thing in the morning.

The kind of French name that seemed daring -- and darling -- in the sixties.

This simple but alluring name — some might associate it with the Kama Sutra — was chosen by heavy metal rocker Sammy Hagar for his daughter.

This attractive Indian unisex name has a number of interesting variations with equally appealing meanings, including Manjula and Manjusha.

As a first name, Valent is most often seen as a variant of Valentine used in Croatia. But individuals with Valent as a surname can be found all over the world, making this name an intriguing blend of "offbeat European" and "on-trend surname". Either way you look at it, its chic romantic sound makes Valent a handsome possibility.

A top ten choice in Chile and a popular name throughout the Spanish-speaking world, Maite is a mighty-sounding name with a soft and sweet meaning. It is also found as a contracted form of María Teresa or María Esther.

This traditional Arabic name, found throughout several other Middle Eastern and African languages and cultures, is one of the 99 names of Allah. Colorful and energetic, it was brought into the realm of crossover possibility via the lively personality of Aziz Ansari, stand-up comic and star of "Master of None" as well as a featured actor on "Parks and Recreation," playing cocky Tom Haverford (born Darwish Sabir Ismael Gani).

Romance may initially strike you as too ardent of a name for a baby, but given that Love has been a fast-rising name in recent years — not to mention soundalikes Roman and Romy — Romance is well-suited to our current naming climate. Presently, it makes the charts for baby boys but not baby girls.

Dariela may have a not-quite-authentic provenance, but it's a pretty name and an unusual choice in the girly Isabella-Gabriella group.

You can just hear some sassy dame in a 1930s movie using this name. We prefer the original -- or even its original, Amabel.